The second of Satan’s devices to draw us into sin is to make our transgressions look like good deeds. As children of God who long to please Him, this deception can cause us to think the evil choices we make are actually the will of God. It is the wickedest sort of rationalization – ascribing the acts of the enemy to the words of our Lord. Rationalization is a common human skill. Many of us excel at it. True artistic or academic giftedness are hard to come by. But our ability to explain away our bad decisions is never in short supply.
The minivan we can’t afford because it offers us safety and convenience. The unhealthy romantic relationship we fall into because it help us fit in with our peers. The career choice that makes us miserable because the pay is good and it pleases our parents.
The human mind will never exhaust its ability to rationalize what the human heart knows is wrong.